Missing
by zelda-chic04
Summary: Link and Zelda are now the rulers of Hyrule. Just when Link had gotten used to being a husband, he now has to become a father. But after their first baby is born, something horrible happens that will change their lives. R
1. Chapter 1: The love of a family

**Author's Note**: Yeah yeah….new story…I keep making these and they always end up flopping. I have a good storyline in mind for this story so I hope it becomes popular amongst my readers!

Zelda-chic04

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own The Legend of Zelda

Missing

**Chapter 1**: The love of a family

"Your majesty! YOUR MAJESTY!" The young lady-in-waiting cried out through the door.

The young, blonde man was standing in the far end of the room, staring out the window. When he heard the young woman's cries he walked towards the door. He opened it to see an excited expression on her face.

"Your highness! You're now the proud father of a baby girl!" The young girl gleamed.

"Thank you my dear! That is great news!" The young king kissed the lady-in-waiting on the forehead and ran down the hall.

He had been waiting for that news all day. His lovely wife had been in labor all day and the nurses ordered him to stay away. After hours upon hours of waiting, he could finally see his bride and new child.

He busted through the door of the room and scared some of the nurses. "Zelda!" He softly said. She was laying on the bed, exhausted, holding the new baby in her arms. Her hair was matted and forehead still a bit sweaty, but she still gave out her beautiful smiles.

"Link, take a look at your new daughter." Zelda said while sitting up.

Link slowly walked over to Zelda and sat on the bed next to her. The joy of being a father engulfed him. "What's her name?" Link asked while looking into the blanket that was surrounding the baby. She had soft, blonde hair, bright blue eyes just like her father's, and her face was softly shaped just like her mother's.

"Her name is Armelle. Would you like to hold her?" Zelda said, holding out the baby to Link.

Link nodded his head as he took his daughter, Armelle, into his arms. Zelda placed his arms in the correct position as Link carefully held his new little bundle of joy. This was his first child so being a dad was quite new. Zelda and Link had only been married and crowned the king and queen of Hyrule for a couple of years now. Just when Link was settling down and getting used to being a husband, Zelda became pregnant. As Link sat there staring into the peaceful eyes of his daughter, he began to think about that night when Zelda told him the news nine months before.

_"Hey sexy!" Link came bounding into the bedroom and passionately kissed Zelda on the lips. _

_"So how was the trip?" Zelda asked as Link was now kissing her neck._

_"Good…long…boring…" Link said in intervals. _

_Zelda started to giggle from the soft touch of Link's lips. Seconds later Link picked Zelda up and carried her over to the bed. Link had been away for a couple of weeks to meet with the leaders of the other countries. There were rumors spreading that an evil force, greater than Ganon, were heading toward Hyrule and the surrounding countries. So since Link was the King of Hyrule, it was his duty to go._

_Link and Zelda were now lost in each other's arms. As link lay on top of Zelda, kissing her, he began to unbutton her dress. Zelda followed his lead and began to take off his tunic. Before they went any farther, Zelda suddenly stopped kissing Link and pushed away._

_"What's wrong dear?" Link asked very concerned. They've never had any problems with making love before._

_"Nothing's wrong. I just forgot to tell you something." Zelda started to smile._

_"What's that?"_

_Zelda was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "We're gonna have a baby."_

_Link was surprised. He didn't know what to say. "Wh…what!" _

_"I'm pregnant! While you were gone I wasn't feeling well and had the doctor examine me. It turned out that I was pregnant and had morning sickness because of it."_

_"That's great! But…"_

_"But what?"_

_"I've only just gotten into the swing of being a good husband, will I be a good father?"_

_Zelda chuckled and kissed Link's forehead. "You've always been a good husband…right from the moment I married you. I'm sure you'll be a great father!"_

_Link smiled and kissed Zelda on the lips. That's why he loved her so much. She was so caring and always looked on the bright side. Without saying another word the two began to kiss again and make love._

After coming out of his daydream, Link handed Armelle back to Zelda and kissed her on the lips. Zelda cradled the baby in her arms and smiled at Link.

"This is great! I have to go tell the guys! I'll be back shortly my love!" Link said while kissing Zelda again.

"Ok! Don't be too long! We need to start having some more quality 'family time' since our little princess has joined us." Zelda winked.

"Don't worry, I won't forget." Link said as he left the room. The moment he stepped outside of it something didn't feel right. It was almost like an evil force was looming over the castle. As Link grabbed for his sword the aura was gone.

* * *

It has been a couple of weeks since Princess Armelle was born. Between the 2 am feedings, stinky diapers, and the loud cries that babies make, Link seemed to have had everything under control.

"ZELDA!" Link screamed at the top of his lungs.

"What dear? I'm right next to you so you don't have to shout!" Zelda said, hitting Link's arm.

"I'm sorry. This diaper smells worse than when Epona takes a crap!" Link held his nose in disgust.

Zelda laughed. "You want to be a good father, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then learn how to change a diaper!"

"But we have servants for that!"

"I know, but to have a personal relationship with a child for a lifetime, it all starts in the early, developing years. My mother died when I was very young and my father and I were never close. I don't want that to happen to our children. I want this to be a tight knit family." Zelda placed her arms around Link's waist and leaned against him.

Link sighed and put his arm around Zelda's shoulder. "You're right dear…but does it HAVE to be changing a diaper!" Link whined again.

Zelda immediately pulled away from Link and sighed. "You're such a baby!"

"No…that's the baby!" Link laughed while pointing at Armelle, who was lying on her back and giggling.

Zelda gave a soft growl and walked towards the door. "Please…just change the diaper." She sighed and opened the door. To her surprise there was a messenger standing there in the doorway.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, your highness, but you and your husband are needed downstairs in the throne room. There is a visitor here that wishes your presence." The messenger said.

"Oh…thank you. We'll be right down." Zelda bowed and closed the door. She turned around and focused her attention on Link, who was looking around the baby trying to find a place to start taking off the diaper. "You're lucky this time. There's someone to see us in the throne room. I'll ring up a servant to change Armelle."

Link ran over to Zelda and hugged her legs. "Thank you so much!"

"Don't think you're gonna get off this easily next time." Zelda folded her arms.

…_About_ an hour later Link and Zelda came back into the room where they had left Armelle. The servant had come and changed her diaper and rocked her to sleep.

"That's so weird. We haven't had any Gerudo folk in Hyrule in years. Actually, since Ganon had been defeated." Link said stunned, sitting on a chair in the room.

"I know. It was a bit awkward, but I'm glad we helped them." Zelda smiled and walked over to the cradle where Armelle had been put down.

Link yawned and stretched. "Man…it's awfully quiet in here. Usually princess is screaming the high heavens."

"She's taking a nap dear."

"Yeah…whatever…I know how—"

"AAAHHH!" Zelda screamed.

Link turned and faced Zelda. "What's wrong? Why the screaming?" He took a look at Zelda. She was as stiff as could be with her hands covering her mouth. "Zelda?"

Link got up and walked over to her. "Why did you scream dear?" Zelda didn't answer. She didn't need to. Link looked down into the empty cradle. Armelle was gone.


	2. Chapter 2: From once the past

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the legend of Zelda

Missing

**Chapter 2**: From once the past

"ARMELLE! ARMELLE!" Zelda ran out of the room hysterical. Link ran after her only to find Zelda collapsed on the ground, sobbing. He picked Zelda up in his arms and set her on a chair in the room.

"Who was the servant that handled our child?" Link asked sternly. He wasn't going to let his first child be their last.

Zelda tried to stop crying but only stopped enough to say the name of the servant girl. "…Ariel…"

"Thanks…" Link bounded out of the room and down to the servant's quarters.

He swung open the doors so hard that some of the hinges broke off. All of the servants who were currently in the room jumped up and froze.

"ALRIGHT! WHERE IS ARIEL!" Link shouted at the top of his lungs. All of the girls who were in the room were startled. Link was such a nice, caring guy who never raised his voice.

The head servant, Jasmine, slowly stepped up to Link. "Your highness! What's the matter? Why do you need Ariel?"

Link grabbed Jasmine's arm and pulled to the side. "Armelle is gone. Someone kidnapped her. The last servant to handle her was Ariel. Where is she?"

Jasmine's eyes grew wide. "Oh my! That is terrible news! Well…Ariel is outside working on the clothes washing. I can get her for you."

"No thanks. I'll get her myself." Link ran out of the room.

Moments later he was in the courtyard were several servants were hanging and washing linen. "ARIEL!" He yelled out.

A young girl with long brunette hair looked up from her basket of clothes. "Yes your highness?" Ariel said while approaching Link.

"Where is my daughter?" Link asked sternly.

"She should be in the cradle where I left her. Why?"

"She's gone. And you should've been there to watch her too!"

"I'm sorry your highness! I was called away to do this and no one was around to take watch. I didn't think you and Zelda would be long." Ariel fell to her knees.

"Right now you are on suspension and will await judgment until we find Armelle." Link turned his attention from Ariel to the rest of the servants. "I will summon the guards and knights to form a search to find my daughter. Every servant and worker will be searched. If you shall refuse this order, expect to face extreme penalty." Link turned around slowly and walked into the castle.

* * *

"ARMELLE! ARMELLE!" A young woman cried out into the open field. All she could see was the small figure of a horse and a girl riding it. "Dinner's almost ready and it's your turn to set the table!" She finished saying and went back into the house.

The young girl on the horse continued to ride around, almost ignoring the woman. Several minutes later the girl put the horse back in the barn and walked into the house.

"ARMELLE! You're late again! Romani had to do all of the work…again." The young woman scolded Armelle.

"I'm sorry, but I was practicing my bow and arrow skills while riding Tula. I promise I won't be late again Cremia." Armelle sat herself down at the table.

Cremia sighed. "That's what you say every time. You're sixteen years old, you need to learn some responsibility. You're not royalty you know. You have to work for what you want."

"Yes…I know." Armelle lowered her head and started to eat.

Occasionally Armelle would look up at Cremia and then at Romani. They were almost identical. They both had long, flowing red hair and bright blue eyes. Cremia was older, about thirty five years old, and looked more dignified. Romani was only a year older than Armelle and was also a younger version of Cremia. Armelle sat back and sighed while her sisters continued eating.

Later that night, after Armelle cleaned up everything after dinner, she laid in her bed and stared out the window. The soft moonlight danced across her blanket and then onto the floor. Armelle could hear her sister's soft breathing from across the room. It was the same thing every night. She'd lay there, awake, stare out of the window and think deep thoughts about her life. Armelle was so different from Cremia and Romani. They were natural workers and were never afraid to get their hands dirty. Armelle on the other hand didn't like outside work, or any work for that matter. Not to mention that they both had red hair and Armelle had blonde. All that Armelle knew was that Cremia and Romani were her only family and the towns folk of Termina were so caring and loving. Alas, as like every other night, Armelle would cry a tear and fall asleep.

…_At_ the crack of dawn the roosters started to crow, signaling that it was time to get up. Romani and Cremia woke up without hesitation, but Armelle had trouble as usual.

"ARMI! Get up!" Romani laughed and hit Armelle with a pillow.

Armelle jumped up and fell onto the floor. "ROMANI!" Armelle screamed and started chasing Romani. They continued chasing each other until Cremia came back into the room and Armelle ran into her.

"ARMELLE! What on earth is going on!" Cremia yelled.

"Romani hit me with her pillow!" Armelle said while trying to regain her composure.

"Yeah yeah…whatever. Get washed up and help me with breakfast." Cremia ordered before heading back down.

Armelle nodded her head and walked over to her bed. She fixed the blankets and looked out the window again. In the far distance there was a small figured walking towards the ranch. It didn't look harmful so Armelle thought nothing of it and walked back downstairs.

Romani had already gone outside to the barn to feed the chickens and Cremia was cooking something in the huge kettle. Armelle picked up the small broom that was in the corner and started to sweep the room. By the time she was done Cremia was still cooking, but had gone upstairs. After taking a second look up the stairs, Armelle exited the house and went to the barn. Her curiosity was compelling her.

Romani was sitting on a bail of hay petting one of the chickens. Armelle walked up to Tula and mounted her.

"What are you doing? Breakfast is going to be soon." Romani asked.

"I just want to ride for a little bit to relax. I'll be back in time." Armelle said then galloped out of the stable.

The real reason that Armelle wanted to ride was that she wanted to see who or what that figure was that she saw in the window. To make herself not suspicious of anything, Armelle galloped around aimlessly. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the person at the edge of the woods. It was a young girl and she looked extremely lost.

To be sure that the girl knew that Armelle wasn't stalking her, she stopped and let Tula eat some grass. Armelle watched the girl as she slowly made her way towards the house. As if some force overcame her, Armelle felt compelled to help the girl. She pulled on the reins to make Tula stop eating and galloped on over.

"Hello there! Can I help you?" Armelle hollered out, hoping that the girl heard her. To her surprise the girl began to run and go behind a tree. Armelle stepped down and walked on over to the girl. "It's ok! I won't hurt you!"

Slowly but surely the girl came out from the tree and stood in front of Armelle. She was short and had soft blonde hair and blue eyes just like Armelle. The young girl's dress was dirty and torn and her hair was a mess.

"Can I ask you where you're from or how I can help you?" Armelle asked. The girl was very unfamiliar to her and she hadn't seen her in town.

"Does Armelle live here…on this ranch?" The young girl spoke.

Armelle felt like something struck her heart. "Yes…yes she does. I am Armelle. What can I help you with?"

Out of no where the little girl ran up to Armelle and hugged her. "I finally found you!"

"What do you mean 'found' me? Who are you?"

"ARMELLE!" Cremia screamed across the ranch.

"CRAP! I mean…I must be going now…" Armelle said and quickly walked over to Tula. She turned around to see a surprised but sad look on the girl's face. Not only did she look distressed, but she also looked very hungry. "Would you like something to eat? My sister Cremia is a really good cook." The girl nodded her head. Armelle picked the girl up and placed her on the saddle while she walked beside.

"I need to tell you something." The little girl spoke up as the two entered the stable.

"What's that?" Armelle responded while closing the gate.

"You're my sister."


	3. Chapter 3: The Truth

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Zelda

Missing

**Chapter 3:** The truth

Armelle stopped and stared blankly at the girl. "Yo…your sister! What do you mean I'm your sister! Cremia and Romani are my only family!"

The girl looked down at Armelle with a sad look. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Of course I believe you! It's just…um…come as a very big surprise to me, that's all." Armelle choked up.

"ARMELLE!" She heard Cremia scream again.

"We have to get going, maybe you can actually explain what's going on after breakfast." Armelle said and started running while holding onto Tula's reins.

Once at the barn, Armelle helped the girl down and tied up the horse to a post. They walked through the front door only to be greeted by Cremia's "I'm going to kick your ass" look. Romani was sitting patiently at the table as usual.

"uh…hiya!" A sweat drop ran down Armelle's face.

"Yeah yeah…save it. So who's your new friend?" Cremia asked.

"This is uh…"

"Merina." The young girl spoke up.

"…Merina. Well…nice meeting you. Well, since you're here please join us for breakfast." Cremia tried to be polite while still steaming from Armelle.

"Thank you." The young girl bowed as sat next to Romani. "Hiya! I'm Merina, who are you?"

"I'm Romani." Romani answered back quietly. "How old are you?"

"I'm eight!"

"Ok…it's time to eat! Hurry up before it gets too cold" Cremia set a huge bowl full of porridge on the table and sat down.

"So where are you from?" Romani asked while taking a bite of the hot food.

"Hyrule." Merina answered quickly.

"I see…" Romani said with no knowledge of what Hyrule was. "Is it far from here? I mean, it looks like you've traveled quite a distance to get here."

"Romani! Where are your manners!" Cremia barked.

"I'm just asking a question!" Romani snapped back.

Armelle stared at Romani and Cremia after stopping to put her spoon full of food in her mouth. Romani had never snapped like that before.

"It's ok, I don't mind questions." Merina said with a smile.

Cremia sighed and drew her attention back to her bowl.

"Hyrule is far from here. It took me three days to get here. I'm sure mommy and daddy are starting to get worried." Merina said joyfully, like most kids do.

"Wow…you traveled pretty far for an eight-year-old. You know you could've been picked up by one of the robbers or monsters in the woods." Cremia halfway scolded. "So what possessed you to come out here?"

"I am on a quest!"

Cremia laughed. She knew that children had a wild imagination. "Haha…look. I know how kids your age are. You get bored of the same old things in town and venture out into the wild lands outside of Clock Town. Because of children's robust imaginations, they like to believe they're on a quest as if they were some legendary hero. Everyone knows that Hyrule is just a city made up in folklore that the old folks like to tell."

Merina's face quickly turned from joyous to sorrowful. "But I am on a quest! And I AM from Hyrule! I'm here on search for my sis—"

"AHHH!" Armelle screamed, interrupting Merina. Everyone stared at Armelle. "Uh…I saw a spider…" She tried to fib. There really wasn't a spider. Armelle didn't want her telling Cremia and Romani about Merina and herself being sisters.

"Get a backbone, Armelle." Cremia growled.

Armelle blushed red. "Well…I think I should get into town before the crowd hits. I need to pick up some things and get food for dinner."

"Alright. Make sure you take Merina with you since you brought her here. She's your responsibility now."

Armelle bowed to Cremia and walked out the door with Merina. They walked to the barn where Tula was and headed off. This time Armelle was riding with Merina in front of her. After galloping along the long, dusty road the two finally made it to Termina Field where the city walls could be easily seen.

"Oh! There's that place where I came from! Everyone seemed scared and the guards were mean." Marina pointed out as Armelle jumped down to tie Tula up to a tree.

"You mean Clock Town. The people are generally scared of strangers, but they are really nice people if they get to know you. The guards are very protective because if you wander too far into the woods you can turn into an imp or worse." Armelle tried to sound intelligent. "What do you mean you came through there?"

"I came from Hyrule through that town!" Merina followed Armelle as she walked through the huge door of the wall.

Armelle raised an eyebrow. "That's impossible."

"No it isn't! I went through daddy's old maps to find a way to get to a place called Termina. But it wasn't on one of the normal maps that we saw around the local kingdoms. Once I found the map I followed the path until it took me to this underground place and then through these double doors that opened up into the town." Merina said quite intelligently for an eight-year-old.

Armelle blushed because she felt dumb compared to her "mini-me". "Ok…ok…lets just get what we need and go. Cremia hasn't been too thrilled with me lately." She said as she started to pick up some fruit from the nearby vendor.

The sun was high and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The town psychic said it would be record heat today. Armelle hopped from one vendor to another, completing Cremia's list. Merina started getting antsy after a bit. She had her father's adventurous spirit.

"Well…I think that's about it." Armelle said as she double checked the list. "Wait a minute. I need to pick up the mail so once we're done with that we can go!"

"Ok…but I want to show you something." Merina commented.

"Ok, just as long it's not too long."

Merina smiled as she took Armelle's hand. She dragged Armelle all through town and ended up in front of the Clock Tower.

"Ok…so why are we here?" Armelle asked.

"These are the doors I came out of! See…I'll show you!" Merina started walked towards the doors.

Armelle didn't recognize the building since she hardly went to the town carnivals and celebrations. "Wait! That could be dangerous! Don't go in there!" Armelle tried to stop Merina.

"It's ok! Trust me." Merina said as she opened up the door to start walking into

_I'm not trusting an eight-year-old I just met today._ Armelle thought to herself.

"HEY! You two! Get away from there!" A guard yelled out.

"Shit…Merina! Let's go!" Armelle grabbed Merina's arm and ran off towards East Clock Town. Merina shrieked as they escaped.

They stopped running when they reached the entrance of the Inn. Armelle was hunched over and out of breath. Merina stood there and stared at her older sister.

"I hope you don't hate me now." Merina said almost in tears.

"Oh…no! I don't hate you." Armelle said while trying to catch her breath. "It's just that that place beyond the doors could be dangerous and you don't want to be caught by the guards."

"I came from there! It's not dangerous!" Merina pleaded.

"You just got lucky. You might not be so lucky this time. I'll tell you what. Lets go into the milk bar and get something to eat and we'll talk about what all is going on." Armelle offered.

"But I'm not hungry."

"Fine. We'll get something to drink."

"But I'm not thirsty."

"Ok! We'll just go and sit down in there anyhow!" Armelle's blood was almost boiling as she trotted over to the milk bar. Merina followed close behind.

Once they entered the bar Armelle chose a small booth in the corner where they could have some privacy. The place wasn't very busy during the day, but there were a couple of travelers sitting on the stools and liquoring themselves up for their trip ahead. A short while after Armelle and Merina sat down a waitress came by.

"Hello and how can I help you two today?" The waitress said cheerfully.

"We're not having anything, sorry." Armelle answered back and then watched as the waitress stomped away. She just shrugged it off.

"So…tell me EVERYTHING, Merina." Armelle started off.

"Please call me Rina. I only let people close to me call me that."

"Ok…Rina…"

Rina smiled. "So what do you want to know?"

"Everything. Especially how we're sisters."

"It's a very long story, so I'll try and condense it."

"It's ok. We have time."

Rina looked down. "I always thought I was an only child, but I knew that there had to be something more. There was this picture of my parents with this baby that they always dwell over. My mother cries herself to sleep every night and from what I've been told that ever since 'that day' my father turned sour compared to his once charming and generous disposition. Every so often I'll hear one of them slip call me by some name of a person that I never knew, and it just happened to be Armelle. They're both extremely overprotective of me. I can't even walk down the halls without a servant, maid, or knight with me. Once they find out that I ran off they're going to be furious. But there was something that triggered me to find out what was going on."

"What was that?" Armelle broke in, quite interested.

"I confronted my parents about why things the way they were. They were hesitant at first but they finally came through. My parents didn't want to tell me until I was much older, but since I figured out that something was fishy they decided to tell me now. What happened was that they did have a child before me. Her name was Armelle and she was their pride and joy. One day she was kidnapped and the whole town was in an uproar. No one ever found out who took her but they ended up putting the blame on one of the servant girls who last handled the baby. Ever since my parents told me that I wanted to seek out my sister."

"Didn't it ever cross your mind that your 'sister' could've been dead?" Armelle asked.

Rina seemed unchanged. "Yeah…but I knew deep down that she wasn't. I could feel her spirit. I was informed from a couple of the town elders that they heard that the baby was taken to a far away land called Termina by who knows. So that's when I set out and the rest is history.

Armelle looked down and chuckled. "So that explains it…"

"Explains what?"

"Everything. Why I'm different from whom I thought were my sisters, this feeling of being out of place that I've had my whole life, and you coming."

"Can I ask you something?" Rina started to get more serious.

"Go ahead…"

"I want you to come home with me."


	4. Chapter 4: Journey

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Zelda

Missing

**Chapter 4:** Journey

"You can't be serious, right? I mean…I have a life here and you just recently told me that I'm your sister. I can't just get up and leave just like that!" Armelle said nervously. All this information was spinning around her head. _Kids just have the wildest imaginations._

"I…I…all I wanted was my sister…" Rina started to tear up.

Armelle couldn't help but feel lower than dirt. Rina was right. "I'm sorry. It's just so much to comprehend right now. I'll tell ya what, we'll go back home and head out early tomorrow morning while everyone is still asleep. What do you say?"

Rina's tears immediately dried up as she smiled and hugged Armelle. "YAY! I'm so happy! Thank you!"

Armelle made a grunting noise as Rina continued her tight grip. _Something tells me that she was just doing that to make me say yes_. A sweat drop ran down Armelle's face. Once Rina let go Armelle gathered all of her things and began to walk out of the bar. Rina followed her like a little duckling following its mother.

Everyone who was walking through town gave Armelle a weird look. They knew she was fairly young and not married, and since a little girl was following her they all assumed it was her kid. Armelle ignored the stares and walked through the gate to the outside.

"Excuse me miss. There have been some recent reports on monster sightings and ask that you either take shelter here until it's clear or have an escort with you on your way." The guard informed, stopping Armelle and Rina.

"Thanks, but I think I'll be fine" Armelle said while trying to continue on her way.

"I have strict orders from the mayor—"

"Who cares about the mayor. Let's go Rina." Armelle snapped at the guard and grabbed Rina's hand. The two girls walked over to where their horse was tied up and began to saddle up for the ride home.

…_The_ ride back to the ranch seemed to have taken forever. By the time the two reached the stable the sky was already starting to turn orange from the sun getting lower.

After Armelle dismounted she helped Rina down and walked on into the house. No one was in the main room as expected. A couple moments later, just as Armelle was putting away the bought food and supplies, footsteps were heard coming down the stairs.

"Well hello there Armelle. I thought that you were never going to come back. You always take forever when going into town." Cremia commented while now examining the new goods.

"Very funny, Cremia. You know how far away town is so I would hopefully expect you to understand somewhat." Armelle commented back, making Cremia's blood boil. She shot a glare back at Armelle.

"Hey you two…there's a little girl in here." Romani informed as she walked in the door with her arms full of firewood. Rina was shyly standing by Romani who was smiling at the little girl.

"I never knew you were so comfortable with strangers, Romani." Cremia stated while starting to chop up some vegetables.

"I'm not, but Merina is just so cute!" Romani set the wood down by the fireplace and took her spot in the kitchen to help cook. Cremia continued to have a sour look on her face.

Armelle noticed Cremia's constant expression and began to wonder. Cremia normally was pretty easygoing and more concerned with everyone's feelings. Something was going on. Was there something that she knew that Armelle didn't? Armelle began to ponder and think up wild reasons to why Cremia was like this as she continued her cooking job of cleaning the table and setting it.

"Armelle…ARMELLE!" Cremia shouted to Armelle. "Pay attention girl! You're going to break all of the dishes at the rate you're going."

Armelle looked down and realized that there were no plates where she thought she had set them. She looked down and saw Rina holding all of the plates.

"They were about to fall off so I caught them." Rina said in her small voice.

"Are you daydreaming again, Armelle?" Cremia scorned.

Armelle blushed. She knew she wasn't daydreaming, but she didn't want to argue with Cremia. "No…" Armelle sighed, took the plates from Rina, and reset the table.

* * *

Early the next morning, just as the sunlight was breaking through the trees, Armelle got up and started to pack her things. Rina continued to sleep on Armelle's bed. Armelle was trying as best as she could to stay quiet so both Romani and Cremia couldn't hear her.

"Rina…wake up. It's time to go." Armelle softly whispered to Rina to wake her up.

Rina slowly woke up and rubbed her eyes. She was still too tired to walk so Armelle picked her up and carried her downstairs. To her surprise Rina was quite light. As Armelle continued to creep softly through the house and into the stable, thoughts about the whole situation swarmed Armelle's mind. Was she doing the right thing? How would Cremia and Romani react? Is this whole thing really true?

At this point Rina was a bit more awake and was able to stand on her own. Armelle helped her up onto Tula and then tied on the clothing and supplies onto the back of the saddle.

"I can't believe this time has already come." A voice said, startling Armelle. She looked around to see Cremia standing right behind her. "I always knew somehow that someday you would leave this place, it was destiny."

Armelle's stomach started to turn into knots as she blushed red. "I'm so sorry for waking you up! I was being as quiet as I could!" Armelle tried to apologize. "And what in the world are you talking about anyway?"

"There's no need to apologize. Ever since Merina came I had a feeling the time was now."

Armelle raised an eyebrow.

"Let me explain. Several years ago, when Romani was still quite very young, a stranger cloaked in a dark hood came buy and dropped of a baby. They didn't say a word except for the baby's name, Armelle, and left immediately. There was nothing else I could but raise the baby myself along with my little sister. I grew to love you and just became a part of the family as if it were real. But since the occurrence was so bazaar I had a feeling that someday, when you got much older, that you would start to feel much different than Romani and myself. And…it has come…the day when you would leave us is finally here." Cremia explained and then shed a tear.

"You knew…didn't you?" Armelle said softly.

"yeah…"

Armelle started to choke up inside. "So…so is that why you've been so controlling lately? You knew this was going to happen and didn't want me to go, right?" Cremia shot a glare. "Hey! It's the truth…"

Cremia sighed. "Yeah…you're right. I don't want to let you go. You're just like a real sister to me."

Armelle placed her arms around Cremia as she started to cry. "I'll miss you, Cremia. I promise I'll come back and visit. I'll never forget you!"

"I'll miss you too. Have a save trip."

Armelle nodded her head and mounted Tula. Rina was sitting and waiting patiently for her. "What about Romani? Does she know about this?"

Cremia hung her head. "No…but I'm going to have to break the news to her somehow."

"Alright! Take care of yourself and I promise I'll come back!" Armelle said as she made Tula gallop out of the stable. She didn't want to get too emotional and have second thoughts about this. This whole thing meant a lot to Rina, and to Armelle herself.

…_The_ sun was starting to rise higher in the sky as Armelle and Rina rode across Termina Field. They arrived at the town gate and stopped for a quick minute.

"I don't think horses are allowed in there, Rina. We're gonna have to leave Tula here." Armelle commented.

"You worry too much big sis! Just gallop right on in there and go through those door I showed you." Rina smiled.

Armelle gave a half smile. _This is all happening WAY too fast…_ Armelle thought to herself. "Ok…lets do it."

Armelle snapped the reigns to make Tula trot on into Clock Town. There was hardly a person around since it was still quite early. Armelle heaved a sigh of relief.

"Hey there! HALT! Horses are not allowed into the town!" A guard announced to Armelle and Rina.

"Oops…gotta run!" Armelle clicked her heals against the horse's sides to gallop. As she galloped off the guard started chasing her, but also called other guards for backup. The ones in front of her held out spears and swords to make Armelle stop, but she just used her riding skills and jumped over them all. Finally reaching South Clock Town there were more guards waiting for their arrival. A few of them took a couple good swings at Armelle and the horse, but was dodged quite easily. When Armelle reached the Clock Tower she dismounted and opened the door to let the horse go on in. She slid on in just as a few arrows flew her way, only to get stuck in the door.

Armelle leaned up against the back of the door and breathed heavily. "Well…that was exciting…NOT. You better be right about all this, Rina! We were almost killed back there!" Armelle shouted.

"I'm sorry…" Rina looked like she was going to cry.

"Ah…uh…hmm…sorry. Lets get going. You sure you remember the way?"

Rina nodded her head. At that Armelle grabbed Tula's reigns and walked on through the basement of the tower.

It was very cold and damp inside of the Clock Tower. The steps were almost worn down and the stream below was unappealing. At the bottom there was a huge door just waiting to be opened. Rina signaled that it should be opened and Armelle did just that.

The land that they were now exposed to was very mysterious. Strange plants grew on the trees and huge flowers were everywhere. There was no sunlight to be found but something was around, glowing, to illuminate the place. Armelle didn't know what to make of the place.

"Are we in Hyrule?" Armelle asked.

"Nope…we still have a long way to go according to daddy's map." Rina answered holding up a huge, aged piece of paper.

Armelle hung her head and sighed. "In that case I'm going to mount Tula. I'm tired of walking." She stopped walking and mounted the horse as she said that she was going to do.

The scenery wasn't changing much, but the internal gut feeling that Armelle was getting was growing. _Wow. Who knew that a place like this existed underneath the only place I knew of._ Armelle thought.

"Hey…maybe this isn't so bad after a-AHH!" Armelle screamed.

Something spooked Tula and made her rear back. Armelle and Rina both were thrown off the horse and landed on the soft grass. Armelle looked up to see that Tula had run away.

"Are you ok Rina?" Armelle helped Rina up.

"Yeah. What happened?" Rina asked while brushing off the debris.

"I don't know and I don't want to know. All I want to go is find Tula and get the hell out of here." Armelle said and started to walk on.

After a few minutes of walking the two girls heard a loud rustling nearby. Armelle stopped and looked around. "What was that?" Rina looked up at her with a curious look. "Whatever lets—" Something flew threw the air and hit Armelle in the head making her fall over.


	5. Chapter 5: Almost

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Zelda

Missing

**Chapter 5: **Almost

Everything was blurry when Armelle opened her eyes. When her vision returned the surrounding drastically changed. There was a dusty light coming through the trees and everything just seemed all around more peaceful.

"Wh…what happened?" Armelle said as she tried to sit up.

"Someone threw a rock at you. The person turned out to be a really nice imp kid who found our horse and showed us to here." Rina smiled as she answered Armelle's question.

_Kids are so obvious and stupid too._ Armelle rolled her eyes. She wanted to say a smart remark back but Rina was just a little girl and a guide back to her past. "Ok…I'm still confused about all what happened and no where are we?"

"We are in the woods of Hyrule! We're here!" Rina exclaimed.

"HEY! Wait a minute! Don't go running off! We, well I, don't know what's out there!" Armelle warned.

"It's ok sis! I venture through here all the time!"

_Gawd! This kid never ends does she?_ "You're not even 10 yet and already getting into dangerous crap! Even I was never like that."

Rina regretfully looked down. "I'm sorry. It's just that when you're the only kid in the castle and the adults are never around to play with, it gets lonely."

"Don't your, I mean, our parents know about what you're doing?"

"No. And they're not going to." Rina huffed and turned away.

Armelle stared at Rina. There was something that she wasn't saying. Something as in she didn't get the proper love from her parents.

"Come on. Let's go before it gets too late." Armelle grabbed Rina's hand and then helped her up onto Tula.

Rina was unusually quiet the whole way through the rest of the forest. Things between the two girls seemed suddenly tense and uneasy. Armelle wanted to say something but was afraid that Rina was going to go on a crying spree again.

Armelle sighed and looked up. She grew excited when she could see the bright light of the field up ahead. Finally she would be out of the woods. Finally she would be about to meet her real family.

"Rina! Look! We're finally out!" Armelle exclaimed like a little kid as they now stood out in the open.

"Yeah." Rina responded unemotionally.

"Rina, what's wrong? We're finally back in your home country! Is it because you have to go back now to your parents?" Armelle was starting to get really concerned.

No response. Armelle was almost out of ideas. Then it finally hit her like a rock. Literally. She looked up to see that a squirrel dropped one of its nuts on her head. "Are you upset because you think your parents love me more than you?"

Rina snapped her head and stared at Armelle. Tears started filling her eyes. "Daddy's always busy with something and when mommy's not crying she's ordering me around like I'm one of the maids. And all they talk about is you and how you were their first born."

"Your parents love you very much! I don't know what all happened, since I was only a baby at the time, but despite what they do, I know they care about you. Heck, they're probably even out looking for you right now." Armelle smiled, trying to cheer Rina up.

"It's not true and you know it!" Rina pouted.

Armelle sighed. "I don't know what to do. I've grown up my whole life with Romani and Cremia. Up until now I thought that they were my only family. Though Cremia was a bitch to me and Romani always quiet, I knew that they loved me and would be sad if anything happened. Your parents would have to be the same way, they HAVE to be! Come on. Let's go to the castle. Isn't this what you wanted; to find me and bring me home?"

Rina wanted to fight back but knew that she couldn't. Armelle was right. "I'm sorry!" She threw her arms around Armelle's neck and began to cry.

"It's ok…it's ok." Armelle comforted as she helped Rina down from the horse.

Armelle took Rina by the hand and started walking in the direction of the castle that was according to the map. Hyrule was a lot calmer than Termina. Here there were small roads, flowing streams and not even any monsters around like in Termina. Armelle felt calm and safe for once.

In the distance galloping of horses could be heard. Armelle ignored it until it quickly got closer to them. She turned around to see just who it was. It was a small group of the royal family guards. Rina let out a smile shriek and hid her face on Armele's stomach. Armelle quickly stopped the horse.

"It's alright Rina! They're not monsters!" Armelle tried to comfort as she peeled Rina off of herself.

"Yes they are! They're the guards of the castle! They're here to get me and take me back!" Rina pleaded.

"I won't let them do that. Where ever you go, I go." Armelle clicked her heels against Tula and began to ride again.

"YOU UP THERE! We command you to STOP!" One of the guards shouted.

Armelle stopped and looked back at them. She didn't want to give them a hard time for fear of being thrown in jail. The men quickly caught up to the girls who were waiting sort of impatiently.

"Princess Merina! You're safe! Please come with us, your parents are terribly worried about you." The head guard said as he grabbed Rina from Armelle. Rina struggled the whole time and put up a fight, but the guards were much stronger so they won the battle. "Now as for you," The guard now directed his attention to Armelle. "You're under arrest!"

"WHAT? Why!" Armelle shouted.

"For kidnapping the princess. That is a huge offense and certainly means death in most circumstances." The guard snickered.

Armelle growled at the guard as he grabbed a hold of her. Rina let out a shriek.

"NO! You can't do that! You have it all wrong!" Rina screamed out.

"HUSH YOUR HIGHNESS!" The guard that was holding Rina scolded.

"Now, now dear. We've caught your kidnapper and are going to take you safely back to the castle where you belong. Outside the castle walls is no place for a princess." The head guard informed as he tied up Armelle's hands and roped Tula's bridle to one of the guards' horses.

* * *

Fairly later in the day the group of guards and the girls finally made it to the castle area. The walls were massively high to ensure great protect the royal family and the townsfolk in the closely settled town. As they trotted through the main market place stares came from everywhere as they looked unwavering at Armelle. All of the townspeople were excited that Merina had come back safely and cheered as they went by. A select few threw rotten fruits and vegetables at Armelle because they also assumed that she had kidnapped the princess. Armelle wanted the guards to tell the people to stop throwing the food, but all they did was snicker and comment to each other about it. Rina on the other hand looked like she was about to cry. Armelle sighed and looked down. There was nothing she could do.

By the time the group arrived to the gate of the castle grounds they had split up. The head guard and two of the others, along with Rina, headed up the small hill and to the draw bridge leading into the castle. The other half took Armelle away from the entrance and to the back. There in the back was a small door that led down into the dungeon. The guards dismounted and helped Armelle down. Despite the nice helping down they pushed her towards the door.

"Get in there wench!" The one guard ordered as he pushed Armelle's back.

"Yeah! Open the door and get in there!" The other one echoed.

Armelle glared. "I can't get in if I'm tied up!" _Good grief these guys are retarded._

Both stared blankly at Armelle.

"Oh yeah!" The first one rang. "I forgot you were tied up. Hey, open the door will ya?" He asked the other guard.

"Why should I do it?" The second guard responded puzzled.

"I dunno..."

"WILL SOMEBODY JUST DO SOMETHING!" Armelle screamed.

"Hey! Don't talk to us like that! We're guards!" The first guard said proudly.

"Yeah!" The other one chimed in as he opened the door.

_More like bunch of idiots if you ask me._ Armelle said to herself.

After the long, irritating discussion of who was going to open the door they finally walked in. Both guards grabbed one of Armelle's arms and led her to cell far down the cold, musty hallway. Spiders and small rats crept around the floors, making Armelle jump. Finally they arrived and both guards threw Armelle to the floor of the cell.

"This is where you'll be staying until your sentence is decided by the King." The first guard said as he locked the door and walked away. The second guard stared stupidly at Armelle until the first guard came and pulled him away.

Armelle sighed and repositioned herself. The idiot guards forgot to untie her. "Hopefully Rina will do something and get me out of this mess. I'm totally innocent! But it's up to the King to decide I guess." _The King. My supposed father..._

"LET ME GO!" Rina screamed as the guards led her into the throne room where her parents were sitting. "I demand you to let me go!" The guards were still holding onto the princess as they stood there.

"King Link! Queen Zelda! We found your daughter the princess!" The guards said as they continued to hold onto Rina.

"Let her go." The King said unemotionally.

The guards let Rina go and she fell to her knees from struggling with them. She looked up to see her father with the same solid, angered face. Her mother on the other hand was looking around frantically like her own paranoid self. Rina wanted to run out of the room and save Armelle.

"You're dismissed." The King said coldly. He was quiet again as he waited for the guards to exit the throne room. Once they were gone he directed his attention to Rina. "It's nice to see that you're back safe and sound and that your kidnapper is caught."

"But daddy!" Rina tried to cut in.

"SILENCE! You know better. Your mother and I were quite worried about you since you were gone for such a long time. Ever since our first born disappeared we would surely not want to lose our second child. Since this happened we're going to have to tighten security and you won't be allowed outside of the castle walls without an armed guard," Link paused for a moment. Rina was almost in tears and she was getting very upset also. "No need to worry my dear, go to your room and I'll send up a maid to help you with your bath. While you're doing that we'll discuss what to do with your kidnapper."

"STOP! NO FATHER! You have it all wrong!" Rina lashed out again. For an eight-year-old she had a lot of spunk.

The King stared at Rina. Her mother was already starting to cry again. "MERINA AINLA! I am the King and my word is right! Go to your room! We will have no more talk about this." Link hollered back.

"NO! Please just let me explain! I didn't get kidnapped, I ran away!"

Zelda started sobbing even more. "But…but why would you…you…do such a…thing!"

"Just listen to me for once and stop comparing me to your long lost first born! I'M your daughter! Anyway, since you guys wouldn't shut up about Armelle this and Armelle that I decided to run away; partly because I was mad and jealous and partly because I wanted to find your first daughter. I had a feeling she was still alive, I could sense it! And I was right. Using one of daddy's maps I found her in a place called Termina. She's here right now! She's your 'kidnapper'. But she didn't kidnap me! I brought her back with me to show you that she's still alive!" Rina pleaded.

Zelda was speechless. Link didn't care for what Rina said. "GUARDS! Take Merina to her room. And as for her kidnapper, death by hanging at sunrise."

"DADDY! NO! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!" Rina cried and kicked as a guard carried her out of the throne room.

"Dear, I think Merina is right. Before you make your rash decision worse I think you should see if it really is Armelle down in the dungeon. Because if you do kill her, then we've really lost her for good and I know you don't want that." Zelda tried to talk some sense into Link.

Link shot a glare at his wife. "Kids speak nonsense. My word is my word and my word is final," Link stood up and started walking out. "I don't need you involved in this too."

Zelda shot up from her throne. "LINK! You're being irrational again! Both Merina and Armelle are my daughters too! I gave birth to them! Don't we mean anything to you anymore?"

Link stopped and stared at Zelda. "Don't get in my way." He said coldly and then walked the rest of the way out of the throne room.


End file.
